Pui Tak Center | The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago

Pui Tak Center

The Pui Tak Center is an ornate building in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood that has been an official Chicago landmark since 1993. Formerly known as the On Leong Merchants Association Building, the center opened in 1928 in the years following the shift of Chinatown to the Near South Side from its previous location near the Loop. With its pagoda-inspired towers, green clay roof tiles, and terra-cotta panels, the building’s details were inspired by some traditional Chinese elements – but it was not designed by Chinese architects; Norwegian architects Christian Michaelsen and Sigurd Rognstad designed the building with a Western interpretation. At the time, there were no licensed Chinese architects in Chicago. Today, the Chinese Christian Union Church owns the Pui Tak Center, which operates as a community space that supports immigrants with such services as English classes, tutoring, medical services, youth programs, and more.